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Wednesday, 7 March 2012

I really wanted to do this review agessss ago, but I had actually lost it for about 3 weeks...I found it the other day under my bed...

I never really saw the purpose of primers before, I always assumed it was basically a moisturizer for your face and that it weren't necessary. Then more and more of my favorite Youtube gurus started to rave on about this primer, and I thought maybe it was time to try it. Now at just under £15, it wasn't the easiest thing to put in my basket, especially for a high street brand, but I did it anyway.

What it claims?

"L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer is inspired by professional make-up artists, this primer masks wrinkles and uneven textures in the skin, making the complexion feel smooth and soft, with a remarkable velvety touch"

What does it look like?

I have to say, the packaging does look and feel quite premium...but at that price, that is expected! The primer comes cased in a 15ml clear glass jar with a glossy black plastic lid.

After screwing open the lid, the primer appears almost like a whipped light pink mousse, which allows the primer to be travel friendly as leaks are avoided. It also has no smell whatsoever, which is a plus for those with allergies or sensitive skin.

When touched, it has a soft, fluffy-like texture, almost like melted marshallows. When rubbed against the skin, it feels amazingly soft and velvety, filling in all the gaps and craters in your skin lol. I do find when I apply this to my skin as a base, I'm left with a white chalky finsh even though L'oreal suggest you can use this alone.

Does It Work?

I notice a huge difference when I use this under my foundation. It takes longer for me to actually start getting oily around my nose and gives me a flawless, matte finsh. It makes my skin look softer than it is, evening out the surface and helping my foundation last even longer on my face. I love it and would recommend!

Since yesterday, my BBM has been bombarded with pictures and statuses about 'Kony'. So I've taken it upon myself to do the research. This video has nothing to do with beauty or fashion,but it's really made me think and I've posted this here to raise awareness. The more people that know, the better.

I'm not really someone who'll buy a mascara because the advert claims it'll magically make your lashes grow. I'll buy one because there's a decent deal or I like the look of it. In Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara's case, it was because it was going for around a fiver and I wanted to see the hype. Does it live up to the noise though?

What does it claim to do?

"Our collagen enriched formula and unique “claw” brush flick out and extend the look of lashes at the corners-a fierce look with up to 7x more volume!"

What does it look like?

I love some animal print, and although Maybelline did try with the print, random squiggles aren't good enough! lol. I do love the choice of bright yellow and metallic orange, I'll never lose this in my make-up bag! And the shape is very sturdy which I feel makes the mascara feel a little bit more exclusive and expensive than it really is. I love the packaging.

The brush gives it that extra edge to stand out from other mascaras I have used. It's curved design makes aids the mascara in achieve it's aim by reaching into the corners of the lashes to get that 'feline' look.

I also appreciate the formula of the mascara isn't dry that it would leave my lashes looking 'crispy' but also not so wet that as soon as I blink, it smudges everywhere.

Does it work?

I do think this mascara lives up to it's claims. The corners of my eyelashes have been exaggerated the most to give me that 'cat eye' look and my lashes have been volumised (whether it is actually by 7 times, I do not know). This will definitely be a repurchase for me as it lengthens and volumises,but still allows my lashes to look quite natural.

So if you've seen my wishlist, you have noticed the black Zara bag. I have wanted this for agesss as I've needed a pratical black bag, but kept putting it off! So this weekend, I decided to get it before I start crying that it's out of stock...and I love it! It's still sitting in the paper bag lol but when I do finally use it, it'll be put to good use ;)

This is my current nail polish that I did a few days ago. Wanted a bright colour to welcome in spring, and this does just that. It is one of my favourite shades as I bought this while I was searching for that perfect 'Barbie pink' and at only 99p, this was a Godsend!!

If you're London based, you can get this colour and a whole load of others for less than £1 at Beauty Base in Westfield, White City. If not, I'm sure these will be on eBay =/

Friday, 2 March 2012

I know last time loads of you were kicking yourselves for missing the ELF discount codes. So I've managed to get another one...actually, THREE! It's meant to be like a treasure hunt thing, but I've ruined the fun and I'm just going to tell you lol. These people forever have bargains, but all the things I want haven't been restocked =(

Anyway,if you're not a follower of my blog, become one! I'll always bring you guys in on great deals =D

I own the minimum number of brushes needed for makeup and wasnt willing to spend large amounts of money for a whole collection...although I do have a £32 MAC one -_- So when I saw how cheap the ELF ones were and how numerous beauty gurus raved about their powder brush, I had to get some. I own 6 of their brushes so far as most ones I wanted were sold out. Excuse the makeup left on the brushes btw lol =/

These are:

Elf Studio Powder Brush- I use this when I want a natural finsh for my liquid foundation by buffing it in. Gives a lovely finsh.

Elf Studio Angled Contour Brush- I use this for applying Elf HD powder under my eyes to set my concealer. Shapes well and nice to use.

Elf Eyeliner Brush- Use flat top to apply concealer around my brows. Applys nicely and fits in arch.

Overall, i actually love these brushes, especially as prices start from £1.50! I have experienced no shedding from them which is shocking as my MAC 187 sheds all the time and was 20x the price! The brushes have good application and are nice to hold. I fully recommend and will be collecting the rest.

So, being a dark brown shade with yellow undertones (NC50), I have found it extremly difficult to find a nude shade to compliment my skin tone. I've brought numerous 'nude' lipsticks and lipglosses just to try them out and even asked a MUA @ MAC to match me up with one. The nude she had in mind matched my skintone rather than the beigey nude I was going for. However, I did like it and purchased it. (If your interested, it was 'Taupe' lipstick and 'Spice' lippencil)

I asked her to test Viva Glam 2 on me, as I know it is wearable on darker skin tones after endless youtubing and review reading. The MUA advised me not to get it...but I got it anyway (My money! My rules! Lol) When I got home, I did regret it as I felt it didnt suit me =\ but I've worked with it and hope this post can help you too. So first up...

You need:

A nude lipstick (I used VivaGlam Gaga 2)

Brown Lippencil (Rimmel Lasting Finsh in Cappuccino)

Lipgloss (MAC Cremesheen in Boy Bait)

AND

Optional: Lipbrush

1) I got my nude lipstick and filled in my lips, but not to the very edge. I then press my lips together to get rid of harsh lines and blend the lipstick more seamlessly towards the edge

2) I then got the lip pencil, which should be a brown shade or one close to your skin tone and defined the shape of my lips. I then gradually brought the pencil more into my lips, going over a little bit of the lipstick, but not too much. Pat lips together, but dont slide.

3) I then put a bit of lipgloss onto my hand and used my lipbrush to apply it to my lips. This helps blend the colours out and gets rid of the 'ashy' look some nudes may give off on darker skin.